


Hunkering Down

by pippinmctaggart



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Best Friends, Comfort, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-01
Updated: 2005-12-01
Packaged: 2018-03-31 06:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3967549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pippinmctaggart/pseuds/pippinmctaggart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you just need a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunkering Down

 

"Hi, Dom!"

"Hi, Bill. How're things?"

"Good, good. Listen, I can't chat, I'm back on set in a minute, but I just wanted to catch you while I could," Billy said cheerfully. "I emailed you my flight info, but I thought I'd better double check--do you want to pick me up, or should I just get a cab? I'll arrive in L.A. around two-thirty or so."

"Oh--ehm--yeah, about that. I was thinking, maybe you should stay with Elwood--" Dom sounded uncertain, and more than a little odd.

Billy frowned. "Why?"

"Just--y'know--his place is bigger, and more comfortable, an' all--"

"I don't want to stay with 'Lij, Dom, I want to stay with you. Now should I get a cab or not?"

"Yeah."

"All right. I'll see you Wednesday, mate. You'd better be home to let me in."

"Yeah. Right."

 

 

Billy loudly knocked twice on the door to Dom's flat before it was opened. "Thank god--I thought you'd forgotten what time I was coming. Let a travel-weary bloke in, would you?"

Dom stepped aside to allow Billy and his bags through, then took one from him with a rubber-gloved hand. "No troubles on the trip?"

"Nah, not at all. Just fuckin' long, as usual. Look at you--rubber gloves and a cloth? Never tell me you're _cleaning_ ," Billy teased, shrugging out of his jacket. "C'mere, give us a hug, yeah?"

Dom stepped away. "I'm filthy at the moment. Why don't you go nap for an hour, I'll be done by then and you can have a shower."

Billy groaned. "Oh, that sounds like heaven. You're on." He dropped his carryon, toed off his shoes, and without another word shuffled down the hall to Dom's bedroom. It was an utter disaster area, as ever, but he took no notice. He simply shed his jeans, shoved a pile of laundry and books and CD's from the bed to the floor, and crawled into Dom's bed in his t-shirt and shorts. Within the space of six minutes, he was fast asleep.

 

 

Billy slowly awoke to the feel of someone scritching his scalp with gentle fingertips. "Mngh."

"Time to wake, Bills." Dom's voice was warm, low and even and full of his smile. "You've been asleep an hour. Any longer and you'll feel like shite."

"Too late," he croaked.

"C'mon, get up and take a shower, you'll feel miles better."

Billy buried his head in his pillow, smelling Dom's peculiar brand of hair gel. "Grape jelly!" he suddenly exclaimed, but thanks to the words being completely muffled by the pillow, Dom leaned over.

"What was that?"

Billy rolled, grabbed Dom's waist, and flipped him over so he sprawled on the bed beside Billy. "Your bloody hair crap. It smells like grape jelly! That's been driving me mad for a year now."

Dom struggled to sit up. "Let go, Bill--"

Billy lifted his head and looked closely at Dom. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just let me the fuck go--"

"Not a chance." Billy pinned Dom down by throwing one arm across his chest, a leg across Dom's khaki-clad thighs, and holding on for dear life as his friend tried to buck him off.

"Jesus, Boyd, get the fuck off me!"

"Dom. Dom. Dom," he repeated, his voice as gentle as his grip was firm. "C'mon, mate. Come on, we're always all over each other when we first get together, this is nothing new. What's going on? You've seemed a bit off for a while now, tell me why."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dom had stilled but he held himself rigidly, and his ears were flushed red.

"You're lying," Billy said softly, sure of it now. "Are you upset with me? Is that why you suggested I stay at Elijah's?"

"No! No, I just thought--"

"Are you worried about something? Has something gone wrong?"

"No, nothing--"

"Have you had a fight with someone? Did 'Lij piss you off again?"

"No, Billy, now get off--"

Billy leaned in and kissed Dom's temple. "Tell me what the matter is, Dom. Let me fix it."

"You can't," Dom snapped, and tried to push Billy away again.

"How do you know?" Billy countered, and pressed his chin on Dom's knobbed shoulder. "Maybe I can, if you'd tell me."

"You just got here," Dom said, and there was both desperation and longing in his voice.

"And just at the right time, I'd say," Billy murmured. "Now start talking."

Dom shook his head sharply. "No. You just got here. You need a shower, and some food, and--and some coffee, and--"

"That can all wait. What is it, Dom? What's going on with you?"

"I don't know, Bills." Suddenly his voice was small, a bit ragged. "I'm just--I'm so--"

Billy eased up on his hold enough to rub his hand up and down Dom's side, and he waited as Dom took a shuddering breath. "You don't have to be anywhere tonight, do you?" he asked quietly. "Can we stay in, just you and me?"

Dom nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. Then take your time, and tell me what you need."

"I--I need you. Here."

"I _am_ here, Dom. In your bed with you, as a matter of fact, and wouldn't Elwood take the piss if he knew about that?" Billy smiled against Dom's ear.

"I don't mean--I--" he stammered.

"Wheesht, I'm just teasing. Go on."

"I don’t know what's wrong with me, Bill," Dom whispered, staring at the ceiling. "I'm just so fucking...sad."

Billy tightened his leg over Dom's thighs. "Why are you sad?"

"I just said I don't know! Jesus. I'm just--sad. I miss you when you're not around. I miss Elijah when he's busy. I'm at loose ends without something to do, and I--fucking hell. I _cried_ yesterday, Bill. I don't just fucking cry for no reason."

Billy stroked Dom's arm. "It's not for no reason, though, is it? It's because you're sad; but can you tell me what kind of sad? I mean, are you grief-sad? Anger-sad?"

"No."

"Okay. How about...nostalgic-sad?"

Dom thought about it for a moment. "No."

"Lonely-sad? Melancholy-sad?"

Dom bit his lip.

"That's the one, yeah?" Billy murmured, and kissed Dom's temple again. "I'm sorry you're feeling melancholy, Dom. And I'm really sorry you've been feeling lonely, I should have called you more often. But now that I'm here, will you let me see if I can help?"

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet. But I know where to start. Come here, Dom." Billy lifted both his arm and his leg and rolled onto his back. "You and me. I'll give you a bit of a cuddle, and we'll just hunker down here for a bit, yeah?"

Dom sat up. "No," he said, and he looked uncomfortable. "You need food--"

"No, I don't, I'm not hungry. Come here, you wanker. I could use a hug myself, you know, I didn't get one when I arrived, having flown _all the way from Glasgow_ just to see you, and I'm feeling distinctly neglected at the moment."

Dom looked down at him. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but his eyes began to shine suspiciously, and he bit his lip again. "Poor mistreated Bill," he managed after a moment, and if his voice was a bit hoarse, neither of them mentioned it. "Fine, since you're feeling so hard done by, I suppose I could give you a hug."

"You're too kind."

"I am."

Billy held his arms wide, and when Dom crawled into them, his arms snaking tightly around Billy's waist, Billy hugged him fiercely. "Hi, Dom," he whispered into the dark blonde hair under his chin.

Dom's voice was muffled against Billy's chest. "Hi, Bill. I'm glad you're here. I've missed you."

"Missed you, too, Dom. Better?"

"Better."

Billy yawned. "If I fall asleep again, don't let me--"

"Sleep too long. I won't."

"Good man." Billy sighed, tangled his legs with Dom's until they were completely entwined in each other's space, and let his eyes drift shut. "You'll be happy again soon, mate. I promise," he mumbled.

"Hope so," Dom whispered. "So glad you're here."

"Me too. Wanna make you happy. Love you, Dom..." Billy's voice trailed off as he drifted again. When Dom buried his face against the side of Billy's neck, Billy barely even felt it as sleep finally claimed him.


End file.
